Earlier start to school year brought no change to test scores in southwest MN

25 school districts gained state permission for a three-year experiment in starting classes two weeks before Labor Day. The hope is that the extra instruction will improve students' performance. But results from the first year show test scores stayed about the same.

25 school districts gained state permission for a three-year experiment in starting classes two weeks before Labor Day. The hope is that the extra instruction will improve students' performance. But results from the first year show test scores stayed about the same.

Data released by the Minnesota Department of Education Wednesday revealed that reading and test scores among students in the state have remained relatively flat over previous years. Also, while the scores showed a wide achievement gap between white students and students of color, state officials are hoping a change in how testing data is evaluated will help them fix the persistent disparity.

KARE-11 says the Osseo School District has changed their science experiment policy a day after a chemical explosion during a class demonstration left four Maple Grove Middle School students with severe burns.

When the health care law's changes are complete, Minnesota will get more tax revenue from some sources and less from others. But the net result, legislative researchers say, will be a gain of $42 million over five years. Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen thinks that slight gain will be overshadowed by job losses he fears will follow a new tax levied on medical device makers.